The City Council this week considered options such as prohibiting alcohol sales at the bouts, requiring a special events license and mandating events be held at a location within five miles of a hospital.

Rich Seldal, owner of the American Predator Fighting Championship league in Roselle, said some restrictions would effectively act like a ban on mixed martial arts events in Naperville.

"If we were denied permission to serve alcohol, no one would be attending our event," Seldal said.

Seldal was denied permission in September to use city-owned property on Quincy Avenue for overflow parking for a planned event at Players Indoors Sports. The City has been looking at whether to impose restrictions on cage fighting in the wake of that discussion.

"This is a legal activity and you see it on the television screens of taverns all throughout Naperville," Seldal said. "The city already has numerous martial arts academies. I think Naperville would be missing out on some revenue dollars from fans who would come from other towns to attend an event."

Seldal said he carries $2 million in liability insurance for his matches and employs both private security and local police officers.

"This is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world," he said. "It's even taught in the military."

But local resident Todd Peterson spoke against it.

"If you haven't experienced one of these MMA fights or bouts, it is not sport," Peterson told council members. "It is not entertainment."

According to state law, local communities, including home rule cities like Naperville, may not prohibit full-contact martial arts events. The towns may, however, set restrictions.

"I'm not willing to step in and ban them completely, but I do agree that we need to take this a step at a time," city council member Robert Fieseler said.

The city council will consider the issue again at its Dec. 17 meeting.